The Stars Aligned
by MyImmortal329
Summary: Carol Mason is a new mom and is engaged to be married but having second thoughts. After her grandmother's death, she is surprised to find she has inherited the possibility of a whole new life and maybe even a whole new love.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing from The Walking Dead. The characters from the TV series and/or graphic novel belong to the creators of the series.

The Stars Aligned

Chapter 1

"How do you know so much, Grandma?" twelve-year-old Carol Mason asked, dangling her bare feet over the side of the deck on the back of Grandma Sophia's house. Mrs. Mason laughed and hiked up the legs of her overalls before crouching down to join her only grandchild.

"Sweet girl, I guess you could say the stars aligned the night your old grandma was born," the older woman said with an adventurous smile. "I guess I just always had a knack for knowing things."

"Will Shane Walsh try to kiss me on the school bus again this year?" Carol asked, making a face that made her grandmother laugh.

"Oh, Carol. Don't worry yourself about those things." She paused. "But when he does, you just remind him that just because he wants to kiss you doesn't mean he's allowed to." She winked and nudged the girl's side. Carol sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, you don't have to know everything to know that boy's sweet on you."

"I don't like him, grandma. He's a jerk."

"Well, you don't have to like him. There's no rule that says you have to like a boy just because he likes you." She watched the words settle behind Carol's eyes, and she smiled. "I won't like to you, darlin'. This world's cold sometimes. Harsh. There's a lot of hurt and a lot of hate. And you'll feel that. I'd give anything to keep you from all of that, but I'm afraid I won't be around forever."

"Don't say that, grandma." Carol looked down, looked at the grimy cuticles around her nails. "You're not going anywhere."

"We all do. Someday." The older woman put her arm around the girl's shoulders.

"I wish I was special like you," Carol sighed.

"Honey, I'm not that special," Grandma laughed. "If I was that special, I'd be rich." She winked at her granddaughter, hoping to get a smile out of her. It didn't work. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Ok," Carol nodded.

"One day, a long time from now, you're gonna be standing on this porch with a baby in your arms, and it's gonna be one of the very first awful moments of your life."

"I don't think I want to hear this."

"Now, you won't know it then, but trust me, sweet girl, that's going to be the beginning of something wonderful. Just mark my words."

"How do you know, Grandma?"

"You know how I know."

"Yeah," Carol murmured. "You just do."

Carol sat up in bed as lightning illuminated the small apartment bedroom. She groaned as her head throbbed from lack of sleep. She rubbed at her temples and the cries of her eight-week-old daughter grew louder and more insistent.

"It's ok, sweetheart," Carol murmured groggily, pulling herself up out of bed. She grabbed for her bathrobe and leaned over to peek at the other side of the bed. "Ed?" She squinted into the darkness and patted the still-flat blanket. It was cold. And it was 3:30 in the morning. _God damn him._

She stumbled out of the room and down to the small bedroom next to the bathroom. It was barely big enough for a rocking chair and a crib, but she'd managed to make it work.

The nightlight cast a yellow glow about the room, and Carol could see her little one wriggling and fussing as she continued to cry.

"It's ok," Carol murmured. "It's alright, Sophia. Mama's here. Shh…" Her limbs felt unsteady, coltish, and as she settled into the rocking chair and began to hum a gentle lullaby, she thought back to the hot summer nights she'd spent at her grandmother's farm, waking up in cold sweats and forgetting where she was, being soothed back to sleep with a story or a song, and despite the fact that she was angry and upset with Ed, she felt a sense of peace wash over her when Sophia settled and fell into an easy sleep nuzzled safely against her mother's breast.

It wasn't long before Sophia was sleeping soundly in her crib. Carol took the opportunity to check her phone. No messages. She knew where he was. He was at Bill's or Mike's or wherever else he could think to go to escape the responsibilities of being a new father.

It was nights like this that Carol's mind drifted back to her best friend, her grandmother. They'd been close, and as the only grandchild, Carol had formed a very close bond with the older woman. Up until a month ago, she'd talked to her grandmother just about every night on the phone, and on that final night when the phone hadn't rung, Carol had just known. Deep down, she'd known, and she was still numb over it, still disbelieving, still hoping she'd wake up and it'd all have been one big, bad dream.

She'd missed the funeral. Ed had claimed they hadn't had the money for gas to make it from Jacksonville all the way back to Senoia, though he'd gone out drinking with his buddies that very same weekend. Her own parents were long gone, so there was nobody to really shame her for missing it. Only herself. The guilt had eaten at her, nagged at her, kept her up at night. The only thing that kept her from completely hating herself was that baby Sophia had had the chance to meet her namesake. Her grandmother had made the trip down to Florida when Sophia was born, and Carol had many beautiful pictures to remind herself of the last time she'd seen the one person she'd been able to count on all of her life.

When Carol settled back into bed, she sent Ed a quick text, asking him when he'd be home. She knew he wouldn't respond, and his excuse tomorrow would be that he hadn't heard his phone or that the battery had died. There was always an excuse and never an apology, and frankly, Carol was beginning to reconsider her decision to marry him. The wedding was fast approaching, and the closer it got, the more uncertain she became.

She often looked at Ed and wondered if loving him had been one of the biggest mistakes she'd ever made. She'd often asked her grandmother about Ed, and her grandmother had simply told her that she'd lost her good sense for things years ago and that the only advice she could give her was to follow her heart and not to pin her entire future on the words and advice of an old woman who had maybe had foresight a time or two in her younger years.

Still, there were so many nights when her grandmother would call just to chat, and Carol often wondered if she sensed that Ed wasn't around and that she felt she was maybe providing some bit of comfort for her granddaughter. Ever since Carol could remember, her grandmother had been a very wise woman, and to this day, Carol was absolutely certain that her grandmother had a gift, even if it had been brushed off by many as childhood fancy and the ramblings of a silly old woman.

A loud noise from out in the hall startled Carol, and she held her breath, hoping the baby wouldn't wake. A few moments passed, and she let out a sigh as the front door opened, and Ed the stench of booze poured into the apartment with the bright light from the hallway.

"Sorry I'm late," he murmured in her general direction, kicking his boots off and stumbling past her toward the bedroom.

"Where were you?" Carol asked under her breath, following the man she was due to marry.

"Went out for a couple beers with the guys."

"Smells like more than a couple beers."

"Can ya get off my back for one night? Christ, I worked all week."

"You called in twice this week, Ed. We have bills to pay, and…"

"Well, why don't you go out there and shake your ass then? Don't see you bringing any money in."

"We _both_ agreed I'd stay home with Sophia for the first year. Aren't you the one that said you'd rather her have her mama at home than pay a babysitter?"

"Shit," Ed muttered, rubbing his face with his palm. "It's too fuckin' late to have this fight again."

"Then don't stumble home with booze on your breath after you've been out spending money that you claim we don't have." She huffed and stood there with her hands on her hips as Ed lay back on the bed. "You're never here, Ed."

"Aw, shit," Ed grumbled. "You ain't gonna let this go, are ya?"

"Believe it or not, Ed, we have a daughter who needs _both_ of her parents." She got into the bed and leaned back against the pillow. "You have to start being there. If we're going to get married, I want a husband, not a part-time babysitter." When Ed didn't reply, she knew he was already asleep, and with a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes and hoped she could relax enough to fall back into something close to sleep.

Carol ducked her head sheepishly as she knocked on the back door of Irma's Kitchen, the little diner at the edge of town.

"Well, there you are. I was about to send out a search party," Irma Horvath said with a sweet laugh, opening the door with one hand as she stuffed a small dish towel in her apron pocket.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, Irma. Sophia had a minor diaper explosion, and Ed was late getting out the door."

"Honey, I'm not upset. We're slow this morning, anyway. And there's my precious angel!" Irma wiped her damp hands on her apron before taking the car seat from Carol.

"I can do that, Irma."

"Oh, shush. You let me, now. This little'un is the closest I'm ever gonna get to having my own." She smiled wistfully as she placed the car seat on the counter top and lifted the baby out of the seat. "Yes, now, you come to your Grannie Irma. There…" Sophia snuggled against her breast, and Irma kissed the top of her head.

"You're so good with her," Carol murmured, grabbing an apron off the peg by the door. "I can't thank you enough for giving me this job."

"I can't thank you enough for the help," Irma said with a little shrug, putting Sophia down in the portable crib she'd set up in the back room of the diner.

Carol got up for work every morning with the worry in her heart that Ed would find out she'd picked up a job on the side. As much as he growled about her nagging him about the bills, he truly didn't want her working. He liked the idea of having her at home so he knew where she was, so he wouldn't have to feel so guilty about staying out at all hours and avoiding his responsibilities. They'd gotten together too young. She knew that. And Sophia had come along so fast that Carol was practically having contractions while the ink was drying on her associate's degree from the community college.

But Ed wasn't motivated. He'd made all kinds of promises to her when they'd gotten engaged. But now, he was a certified gopher at a law firm, basically filing papers and getting coffee for the actual lawyers while still trying to pass the Bar exam. He'd blamed his inability to pass on sleepless nights since the baby was born, but he'd barely been there for that. He wasn't the one feeding and changing Sophia.

And he claimed he was too busy to handle the bills, so he let her handle that, and there was absolutely no way the bills were going to get paid, food was going to be put on the table and Sophia was going to be taken care of on his paychecks. So, Carol had picked up a small part-time job working a few hours a day thanks to the kind couple, Dale and Irma, who ran the diner. They paid her in cash every day, a little here and there, sometimes extra since she didn't get tips for washing dishes. And Ed was too busy to even notice.

But the bills were getting paid. Their family was getting fed. Sophia was getting taken care of. And that little girl had the Horvaths wrapped around her little finger, and Carol was certain she knew it.

"Where's Dale today?" Carol asked, turning on the water in the large, steel wash bin. She added some soap and started the rinse water with a little bleach.

"Oh, he's out fishing. He won't catch anything, but he'll come back with a story about how he almost caught a whopper." Carol grinned and loaded the first batch of plates into the washer. "How are things at home, honey?" She looked over her shoulder to see Irma watching her, head tilted in that way that made Carol feel about three inches tall. _Please don't pity me._

"Things are…fine."

"You and I both know that's a bold faced lie."

"Well, they're the same, I mean," Carol said quietly. "Ed's busy with work and studying." She shook her head. "He's trying to pass that exam. He's trying."

"He's trying, but he's not helping you. He's not there for you."

"It's just a rough patch," Carol murmured softly and unconvincingly.

"Honey, rough patches are supposed to be gotten through together." Irma moved across the kitchen and came to help Carol with the dishes. "You work so hard, and he has no idea."

"He wants to be the provider."

"So that means you and Sophia have to suffer in the process? Honey, you're so young. You have your whole life ahead of you." Carol swallowed the lump in her throat, and she fought against the tug in her chest, the tug that told her that Irma was right and she was just trying to rebuild a broken relationship with chewing gum and spit.

"You sound like my grandmother," Carol chuckled. "Except she didn't put it quite so plainly. I know she didn't approve of Ed." Her shoulders slumped. "She wanted me to make my own choices. Maybe I made the wrong ones." She looked over her shoulder at the small crib in the back room. "I made a few right ones, too."

"Well," Irma said with a soft sigh, "if you ever need anything, you know we're here for you. You're the closest thing Dale or I have ever had to having a daughter of our own." Carol blinked back the tears in her eyes and nodded her head.

"You've done so much for me. I can't thank you enough."

"No thanks needed. You just take care of that precious girl. The rest? Well, the rest will work itself out."

The wind whipped off the hill, chilling the air around the old farm house. Daryl Dixon leaned back against the tailgate of his truck and flicked his smoldering cigarette into the red dirt beneath him. A storm was rolling in, and he knew he needed to get his ass up on that roof and fix the leak before he ended up with a mess to clean up inside.

He grabbed for his tools and made his way toward the latter that leaned against the side of the house. He'd never really been afraid of heights, but risking his neck atop a big old farm house wasn't exactly on the top of his list of most enjoyable things to do. Still, he started up the latter, stopping halfway up when the dust from Old Mill Road spread through the tree line like fog on a cool night. He squinted into the sunlight as the roar of an engine preceded the sight of a patrol car skirting around the hairpin curve.

Daryl smirked when the car almost took out the old mailbox and made a note to move it further from the road.

When the car stopped next to Daryl's truck, he climbed down and made his way over to see his old buddy from high school, Rick Grimes, sitting in the driver's seat.

"What the hell brings you all the way out here?"

"Lawyers finished looking through Old Mrs. Mason's papers. Don't think that lady never threw nothin' away."

"So, the rookie gets stuck doin' paperwork?" Daryl smirked, leaning up against the side of the truck and Rick got out of the patrol car with a manila folder under his arm. "What's that?"

"Turns out, Mrs. Mason didn't have any significant amount of money left after funeral expenses were taken care of. In fact, the only thing she had left of much value was this old farmstead." Rick handed Daryl the packet. "Phone number's in the papers."

"Why you want me to call?"

"You're the caretaker, aren't you? Take care of it." Rick smirked at him with that shit-eating grin, and Daryl spat into the dirt. "Look, I just thought maybe it'd be better if somebody that knew her did the calling."

"I didn't know her. Brought her groceries sometimes. Fixed what needed fixin'. She paid me, and that was it. Didn't know her."

"Well, you knew her better than I did, and you've been staying here at the house since the bank asked you to take care of the place."

"Yeah, they just wanted it to look good in case they got to get their hands on it," Daryl scoffed.

"Well, they won't now. Mrs. Mason left the place to her granddaughter. Name's Carol. Guess she grew up around here. Don't expect we'd know her. She went to high school in Peachtree."

"Great," Daryl muttered. "Fine, I'll call. Gotta get this roof done first, 'fore the storm gets here. You wanna help?"

"Nah, I gotta get back to the station."

"Yeah, guess you got more papers to file," Daryl snorted. Rick smirked and shook his head.

"They're putting me on patrol next week."

"Whoa, look out. Trainin' wheels are comin' off."

"Shut up. Wanna get a beer later?"

"Yeah, all right," Daryl agreed.

They said their goodbyes and Daryl went back to work, climbing up on to the roof to patch the leak. As he worked, he thought about all the times he'd come out to fix something around the property, never once had he seen somebody out to visit Mrs. Mason. She'd talked about family and even mentioned having a new great-granddaughter. A couple of months ago, she'd asked him to keep an eye on the place while she went down to Florida to see the baby, but other than that, he knew very little about Mrs. Mason or her family. She was a kind old woman who pretty much kept to herself. He liked that. He understood that. He'd been a loner most of his whole life, except when his big brother Merle was around. But Merle was off to who-knew-where, and Daryl didn't expect him back anytime soon, especially if a woman was involved. In the three years since leaving high school, he'd pretty much tried not to meet everyone's expectations of him following in the troubling footsteps of his older brother. He'd held down a job at Axel's garage, he'd done odd jobs around town for people who needed it, and he'd just tried to keep people at a distance, because everybody he'd ever known had either left him or let him down at some point or another.

So, by the time he grabbed his phone and dialed the number provided for him in the packet, he was already dreading stumbling over his words or whatever the hell usually happened when he spoke to someone he didn't know. If it was up to Daryl, he'd find himself a quiet place like this out in the middle of nowhere and just live off the land. To hell with people. All they were good for was causing trouble anyway.

"Hello?" The voice was soft, unassuming. "Hello?" Who the hell answered the phone for an unknown caller these days, anyway?

"Uh, Miss Mason? Is this, uh, Carol Mason?"

"Speaking," she said softly. He literally flinched at the way her voice floated into his ear like a song. _Christ._

"Uh, my name's Daryl Dixon. I been takin' care of your grandma's place since she passed."

"Oh," Carol said softly. "Oh, alright. Is…is there something wrong?"

"No. Uh, actually, the sheriff's office just brought some papers by. Guess they got the will sorted out, all that stuff. Seems Mrs. Mason left you her house in the will." He had to check his phone to make sure she hadn't hung up on him. "You there?"

"She left me her house?"

"Uh, yes, ma'am." He cleared his throat and looked through the papers. "Looks like she got the taxes paid up for a couple years. Mortgage was paid off years ago. Ain't much of a farm anymore. Mrs. Mason had the barn fixed up into a guest house. Pretty nice place, you know?"

"I…I haven't been there in so long," Carol said quietly. "You're sure…she left it to me?"

"Says here, you're her only livin' kin, and she wanted you to have it. Looks like she updated it last month, makin' a note that if you couldn't take care of the place, the property should go to Sophia Peletier."

"My daughter?"

"Looks like," Daryl said quietly. "Anyway, the house is in good shape, and I been comin' by the fix things that need fixin', so if you wanna come by and see the place…"

"I…I live in Florida, Mr. Dixon. I can't just…"

"Look, do whatever you wanna do," he said gruffly. "Your address still 39 Southway in Jacksonville? Apartment 8?"

"Yes…yes, that's my address," she said quietly.

"Great. I'll send the papers, and then you can do whatever the hell you want with it. Just thought you might like to know she left ya somethin'." With that, he ended the call, and shook his head. Seems he had something in common with Mrs. Mason. They were both better off without the people who were supposed to love them.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Carol crouched down onto the floor next to the bed and tugged out a cardboard box. She picked out the old photo album with the flower pattern and the lace that was hand sewn by her great grandmother years before she was born. Her grandmother, given only sons, had passed it to Carol's mother upon her parents' marriage, who had given it to her. It was still in pretty good shape considering all the years it had been flipped through and stuffed with memories.

It was filled with pictures she'd treasure forever, pictures of people she barely knew without reading the names her great-grandmother had lovingly written on the back. Her great-great-grandparents, uncles and aunts long gone before she was born, her own father as a baby. Her eyes glittered with tears when she came to photos of her parents' wedding, photos of one of the happiest days of their lives. And then, of course, there were pictures of her, their only child, their pride and joy. Photos of her in embarrassing outfits with a big, cheesy grin on her face. Pictures from countless birthdays and Christmases, pictures sitting on Grandma's deck sipping lemonade in the summer time. Pictures of her first date with a kid named Tobin who was nice enough and ended up with a shiner courtesy of Shane Walsh. He'd moved away shortly after that, and she'd spent the rest of high school turning down Shane's countless propositions.

Her parents had passed away in a car wreck her senior year, and she'd spent the rest of the school year living on her grandmother's farm. It had been the summer before she'd started taking classes at the community college that she'd met Ed. Within three months, she'd transferred to Jacksonville with Ed and left the rest of her life behind.

The thought of it hit her hard, and she couldn't bite back the sob that gave way to tears. There were so many photos of her with her grandmother over the years. She'd kept her head above water after she lost her parents. She'd kept her going, made sure she'd eaten right, kept her busy, kept her going. And then Ed had come along and whisked her away from all of that, and now, as she sat on the carpet of this cramped bedroom in this cramped apartment, she knew it wasn't worth it. She felt it in her bones. She loved Sophia, loved being a mother, but she could be a mother anywhere. And the best moments of her life, her best memories had taken place on that farm.

"What's that you're lookin' at?" Carol looked over her shoulder to see Ed leaning against the door frame.

"Old pictures," she said softly, turning back to look at the book unfolded in her lap. "Just thinking about my grandmother."

"Oh," he said quietly. "Hey, uh, I thought maybe we could go grab somethin' to eat at that diner in town. You hungry?"

"Oh," Carol said softly, "I could eat, but Sophia's just gone down for a nap. We could eat here." Her voice was light. Hopeful. Maybe this could all turn around after all.

"I'll order in. You up for pizza or Chinese?"

"Uh, pizza, I guess," Carol said with a shrug. She chewed her lip for a moment, and she could hear the rustle of Ed's pants as he turned to leave. "Ed?"

"Yeah?"

"Hey, um, I got a call today from Georgia."

"Hmm," he grunted, stepping into the bathroom. She heard the toilet seat clatter against the porcelain back followed by the sound of him urinating. She cringed and put the photo album away, standing and brushing her dusty hands on her pant legs. When Ed stepped back out of the bathroom, stuffing himself back into his pants, she sighed.

"Aren't you gonna ask who called?"

"Who'd be calling you from Georgia?"

"It was some guy named Daryl. He's been taking care of Grandma's place."

"Yeah? What's he want?"

"Well, I guess it took some time for them to sort through everything. But they found her will. Um, Ed, I guess Grandma left the farmhouse to me."

"Why the hell would she do something like that?" Ed snorted. "What're you gonna do with a place in Georgia when we live here?"

"Well, I thought maybe we could take the weekend, drive down and see the place. Maybe we can clean it up and…"

"You ain't thinking of moving back there?"

"Well, I thought maybe with Sophia and everything, maybe it wouldn't hurt to check it out. I had so much fun there when I was a kid, and…"

"You serious? Carol, I'm workin' my ass off tryin' to make a career for myself, and you want me to just pack up everything and move back home. Why? Ain't this place good enough for ya?"

"Well, the house is paid for, Ed, and the taxes are paid up for a couple years. It might help us save some money, and…" She sighed and shook her head. "It was just a thought. What do you expect me to do with the place?"

"Hell, we can sell it. Maybe use the money to get a bigger place here." His voice went soft then. "Honey, I wanna get you and Sophia out of this apartment. And I will. But this is our home now. I'm close to passing the bar. I'm close. We leave now, that puts me back at square one." Carol frowned and turned to walk out to the kitchen. Ed followed behind her. "Now, darlin' don't walk away mad."

"I'm not mad. Just disappointed." She contemplated telling him she had a little cash saved back, that she'd secretly been working to help pay the bills, that whatever she hadn't used to help pay them had gone straight into a cash box at the back of their closet. She had a good chunk of change in there, and it would certainly help them start a new life, but Ed seemed set against it. He really wanted to stay in Florida. Ed was a city kid, so she supposed it made sense. Still, it more than aggravated her that he wouldn't even consider trying something different. Then again, she also didn't want to be selfish. Ed was trying to build a career for himself. If they were going to have a marriage, compromises would have to be made. She only wondered how many of those compromises would be hers to make.

Carol put the last dish into the drainer and wiped her hands on a towel. Sophia was still sleeping, and she was thankful for the quiet, so when Ed turned the TV on to watch a game, she retreated back to the bedroom. She thought about getting the picture album back out, but instead, she looked through the rest of the box, finding trinkets she'd saved through the years such as a necklace her father had bought her on her thirteenth birthday.

Her diary, the last one she kept until she moved to Jacksonville, lay at the bottom of the box. She took it into her hands, opening it to the middle where a single red rose lay pressed between the pages, faded and dry now, she remembered the night Ed had given it to her. She'd never been a fan of red roses, but it had been the thought that counted. He'd been so charming, so sweet, and he'd quite literally swept her off of her feet when he'd taken her down to the lake. It was amazing what a couple of years could do to a man.

She peered over her shoulder and could just make out the view of the side of his face from where he sat in his recliner. Who was this man? What was she doing with him? Had she changed as much as he had? Were they just two people changing for the worst who had come together to make someone as wonderful as baby Sophia?

She gently ran her finger over the edge of one dry rose petal before putting the book away and shoving the box back under her bed.

She'd loved him once. She knew it. She never would have agreed to marry him if she hadn't loved him. But then the months passed and Sophia came along, and somehow they'd grown into different people. She'd become a mother, and he'd become a burdened man.

What was she waiting for?

"Honey?" She startled at his voice and turned to see him standing in the doorway. "Let's take the weekend. Go on down to Georgia and see what the place is all about." Carol gasped softly, standing and turning to Ed.

"Really?"

"Hell, it's worth a look, huh?" Carol sighed happily and moved to hug him. She felt his hands immediately slide down her back, and she knew what he was aiming for. She cringed. It wasn't the response a woman should probably have toward the man she was engaged to marry, but she couldn't help herself.

"It's late, Ed," she said softly. "We should get some sleep before Sophia wakes for a feeding."

"Can't spare a few minutes for me, is that it?"

"Ed," Carol groaned, pushing back on his shoulders when his grip tightened around her. "Please." The tone of her voice defeated him, and he let go of her.

"What's wrong with you? We ain't done it since before Sophia."

"I'm not ready," she lied. "I just need a little more time." Ed huffed heavily before pulling away from her and moving to the bed, giving up his pursuit for the night.

"Well, you know where to find me when you are."

Daryl peeked out the kitchen window as a bolt of lightning streaked across the night sky. He knew he should be heading back into town soon to his apartment down the block from Axel's Garage. He hadn't meant to stay longer than it took to fix the roof, but he'd noticed a leak in the downstairs bathroom sink, so he'd stayed to fix that, too.

As he stepped out of the kitchen to head to the front door, he paused to take notice of the pictures over the fireplace. He'd never really paid them much attention, only coming into the house to fix what needed to be fixed, never lingering more than a few minutes. But when he stopped and took a few minutes to look around, he noticed the beautiful brunette, smiling in high school pictures, her long curls framing her face and sometimes pulled back. There were many pictures of her, and one held a gold print in the corner that read _Carol Mason_ with her graduation year inscribed under it.

A few photos down was what he assumed was a more recent photo of her, her hair trimmed short in a pixie cut that seemed to accentuate her gorgeous eyes. She wore a low-cut blue blouse that hung off of her shoulders, and her eyes seemed to look right into him. But there was less of a smile now, as if a piece of her had broken away. Still, she smiled, and it almost took his breath away.

She was beautiful. Those soulful blue eyes seemed to look right through him, and that smile….he'd never seen anyone with a smile like that, a smile that seemed to brighten her eyes and fill her whole face without effort, save for that last photo.

And then there it was, the warmth and love emanating from her eyes and her smile again as she sat up in a hospital bed with a little bundle in her arms. A man stood at her bedside looking somewhere between stunned and anxious, but she wasn't looking at him. She was only looking at her baby.

Lightning lit up the night sky once again, and he felt a shiver run down his spine. He shook his head, and cleared his throat, but still, his gaze was drawn to her photo. He'd never had this sort of reaction to a woman, let alone a damned picture. He certainly wasn't a virgin, but he'd never felt the need to just _know_ someone before. It hit him like a wave, and he took a step back, rubbing the back of his neck as the hairs stood up.

 _"Get a damned grip."_ He could practically hear his brother's voice in his head. _"It's just a damn picture. Ain't like she'd ever want nothin' to do with you."_ He snorted and pushed on the screen door, stepping out onto the porch as the smell of rain and mud clung heavily to the air. _"Woman like that? No way in hell. She's a mom. Got herself a man. She'd never look at you twice."_

Thunder rumbled over head, and the flash of lightning that followed almost instantly told him the storm was far from over. He settled down on the porch swing and lit another cigarette, taking in a long, slow drag before closing his eyes, leaning his head back and breathing out, letting the sound of the rain on the roof cloud his head and distract him from the haunting memory of those eyes that saw right into his soul.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ed had been acting odd all week, but he'd been home right after work for dinner and had been helping out more with Sophia. Carol wasn't certain why the change had happened suddenly, but she figured it probably had something to do with her wanting to go check out the farmhouse in Georgia. Maybe this was Ed's way of trying to show her that he could be there and help out more as a way to keep her from trying to talk him into moving. She didn't know, but she certainly wasn't mad that she had a little extra help, though she made sure to leave Irma's diner a few minutes early every day to have a little extra time to get the house in order.

On the day of the trip, Ed was quiet, almost somber when they got in the car. She chalked it up to the fact that it was four in the morning and that they'd barely slept after Sophia was particularly difficult to get back to sleep. Still, she was hopeful that maybe getting away from Jacksonville for a couple of days would do their relationship some good. Maybe this would be a starting over for them, a way to remember why they fell in love. For her, maybe she could find a way to feel that way again, because these days, Ed felt more like a sometimes boyfriend than a man she was getting ready to make vows to for the rest of her life.

The more she thought about going home again, the more anxious she became. She hadn't seen the old farmhouse in so long, not since before the barn had been renovated into a guest house. She felt that pang of guilt bite at her again, remembered those summer nights chasing fireflies in the field with scent of sweet corn all around her, and she was whisked back to those days of running barefoot through the red clay mud, her curly brown hair flying in the breeze as her grandmother chased after her, getting just as muddy and having just as much fun.

Spending time on that farm had been the most fun she'd ever had. The animals had been long gone by the time she was born, sold off by her grandpa before he passed away, save for one horse named Sugar who had a sweet tooth. She remembered being led around atop Sugar by her dad when she was as young as five. And then, one summer, she'd returned to her grandmother's and Sugar was gone, and it had broken her heart. Still, she remembered those times fondly, because her grandmother had been her best friend, the one person she could tell anything to and get nothing but a kind word or encouragement in return.

Sophia slept most of the way, waking every few hours, tired of her car seat or in need of a diaper change or a bottle. Carol tended to the baby when Ed pumped gas or ordered food, and by the time they made the turn off toward Senoia, Carol was anxious. Ed was quiet, hands firmly gripping the wheel.

"Ed, see that building? That's the high school."

"That where you went?"

"No. I went to school in Peachtree."

"Why do I care about some old high school you didn't even go to?" Ed kept his eyes on the road, and Carol stared at him for a moment.

"You don't have to care about it. I was making conversation. What's your problem?"

"My problem is that I've been on the god damned road for almost 6 hours. We coulda been here an hour ago."

"Well, we didn't have to stop and eat breakfast, but you're the one who was griping about being hungry. Don't put that on me." Ed made a sound at the back of his throat that was between a snort and a scoff. "You're the one that decided we could come. You didn't have to come with me. I could've come on my own."

"What, with the money Irma Horvath pays you at the diner?" He looked at her, and Carol was stunned into silence. "Yeah, I know about that."

"So you're mad about that?" she asked. "That I lied to you? You were working so hard, Ed, and…"

"You got your extra spending money. I ain't gonna bitch about that."

"It's not just extra spending money, Ed. I've been helping pay what bills you can't." Ed slowed to a stop at a light and looked at her.

"You think I can't take care of this family?"

"That's not what I said. There's nothing wrong with a little help, is there? I didn't want to make a fuss. I just wanted to help out and maybe save a little, maybe help us save back so we could find a little place of our own and not some…"

"Not some what?"

"Ed, you know our apartment is too small. When Sophia gets older, we'll need more space. And what if…" She instantly regretted the words the second they came out of her mouth.

"What if what?"

"Well," she pressed, "you're the one that said you wanted a son."

"You're the one that won't let me touch you," Ed grunted, stepping on the gas as the light turned green. The silence was palpable between them for the next few moments. "You think I can't take care of this family. Why the hell would you wanna bring another kid into it?"

 _I don't. I really don't._

"I didn't say you can't take care of this family," Carol argued back. "Everybody needs a little help. Just until you pass the bar."

"You think I can't?"

"I didn't say that!" She sighed heavily. The man was infuriating, and she was suddenly starting to thinks he was crazy for ever thinking this little road trip could re-capture some of the old feelings from early in their relationship. "Ed, I don't know what to say. I don't know how to talk to you anymore."

"Oh, don't start this."

"Maybe we should start this. We're getting married. We have a baby. But we aren't the same people we were when we got married." She looked up. "Turn here." Ed turned down the old country road, and Carol hugged her arms to herself. "We're almost home." Ed looked at her for the briefest of moments, watching the way she relaxed for the first time in much longer than he cared to admit. She was happy here. _She_ was home. So where the hell was he?

Daryl knelt on the porch of the old barn, now the spacious guest home, fully furnished and never used. He couldn't help but wonder if old Mrs. Mason had turned the place into a second little home in hopes that her family might come visit. She never seemed lonely, but he barely knew the woman. All he knew was that he knew what it was like to feel abandoned by everybody you ever cared about.

His mother had died in a house fire when he was twelve. His daddy had drunk himself into an early grave. He and Merle had lived with an uncle after that. Merle had took off as soon as the clock struck midnight on his 18th birthday, and Daryl had stayed with their uncle, who had died just weeks after Daryl hit his own milestone birthday. Merle had been in and out of jail, on week-long benders, disappearing for months without so much as a phone call even.

He grunted as he tightened the screws on the doorknob. He supposed he could have just ignored it. The house was somebody else's problem now. He'd already been paid for his work around the property, and he could have just walked away without another thought about it. But, he'd been checking the locks and making sure the windows were secure, when sure enough, the guest house doorknob needed tightening. It wasn't really a necessary fix at this point. It was still secure. But, he thought about the kind old woman who'd turned her own barn into a second home, and he couldn't just leave the place without fixing one last thing for her. He could almost see the smile on her face and hear the exasperated laugh she always gave him when he did things around the place she never asked him to do.

The rumble of an engine distracted him from his memories, and he looked over his shoulder to see the dust flying up from the old dirt road, coming up over the tops of the tall corn stalks like a tornado on the plains.

Daryl quickly finished tightening the screws on the doorknob, checked his work and shut the door. He stood up and brushed his hands on his pant legs, and he was about to step out into view of the house when he heard the crunch of tires on gravel followed by the squeal of brakes that came after an all too sudden stop. He waited. Moments later, he heard a car door slam, followed by another, followed by the wails of a small infant.

He peered around the side of the guest house in time to see a woman and a man walk up toward the front of the house. He walked ahead, shoulders almost squared, keys balled tensely in one fist. She held the baby against her chest, gently patting her back as the little one's head lolled against her shoulder. Her lips were pursed tensely, still she managed to offer a soothing "shh shh shh" to the baby, who seemed to calm significantly against her mama's chest.

Daryl felt his breath hitch in his throat. It was the woman from the pictures, dark hair cut in that beautiful pixie cut he'd recognized from her most recent pictures, though it had grown out just a little, the ends wispy and flipping up in different directions in the wind.

"Place is bigger than I remember," the man muttered.

"Well, you never stuck around more than five minutes when you were here," she reminded him.

"You really wanna keep prodding the bull here?"

"Is that a threat? What're you gonna do?" she asked, tapping her foot against the concrete sidewalk, bouncing the baby in her arms. She didn't seem one bit afraid of him, only slightly irritated, like she knew he wouldn't put a hand on her. Daryl watched the way the man leaned toward her for a moment, before turning and stalking up toward the porch.

Carol stood still for a moment, shifting the baby down slightly so her head rested upon her mama's chest. The infant stilled after a few moments, perhaps lulled by the sound of her mother's heartbeat. He watched her for what felt like minutes, watching the way she looked about the property, the way her attention seemed to focus everywhere but at the man she'd been arguing with, and how she kind of swayed back and forth along with the breeze, rubbing the baby's back and keeping her calm. She was beautiful, nothing like he pictured, despite all of the photographs he'd seen of her. She seemed smaller somehow, fragile, though the way she held her own against the man she was with told him she was a fighter, much stronger than she looked and maybe stronger than she even knew.

"Ed? Someone's here," she called, breaking him from his trance. "There's a truck parked out back."

"Didn't the guy that called say he was taking care of the place?" Well, that was his cue.

Daryl cleared his throat and grabbed his box of tools, moving around the side of the old barn and heading up toward the house. She was the first to see him, and in that moment, the wind swept his hair down into his eyes, and he brushed it back, avoiding her gaze as the man she'd called Ed came up behind her.

"You must be Daryl?" Carol asked quietly. "The man I spoke to on the phone?"

"Yeah. That's me. Just finished up a couple things 'round here. Place is move-in ready."

"Oh, we ain't moving in," Ed snorted. "We're just here for a couple days to check things out." Ed folded his arms across his chest. "You from around here?"

"Yeah, I grew up around here." He glanced at Carol. "So'd you, I hear."

"Yeah. Though I'm sure we went to different schools. I don't remember you."

"Yeah, you went to school in Peachtree," Daryl pointed out, feeling his ears turn red the second the words came out of his mouth. Carol's eyebrows rose up, and Daryl rubbed the back of his neck roughly. "Uh, yer Grandma mentioned it once. I, uh, I fixed things around the place, brought her groceries, stuff like that."

"Oh, of course," Carol said with a little smile. "Well, Daryl, thank you for taking care of the place. I appreciate that, and I'm grateful you helped out my grandmother from time to time. I miss her a lot." Daryl looked up, and their eyes met, and he didn't see some woman who'd just abandon her own grandmother and leave her all alone like that. He saw a lot of grief behind those sparkling blue eyes. He saw a lot of guilt. A lot of regret. "She got to meet this little one, though. I just wish that hadn't been the last time I saw her." She took a shaky breath and offered a little smile. "The place looks great. Better than I remember."

"You get the paperwork I sent ya?"

"Yes. Thank you, Daryl. Everything's in order. Is there anything I need to know about the place?"

"Nah, everything's good. Got the roof patched. Might need a new one in a couple years. Fixed the lock out back on the guest house."

"The barn?" Ed eyed the barn. "Needs a good paint job."

"That was next. Mrs. Mason wanted it painted, but she passed before. Inside's good though. Don't even look like a barn. It's got two bedrooms, a full kitchen and bathroom, electricity and a TV."

"How much would you charge to do the painting?" Ed asked. "We might think about selling, and we want it to look good."

"I could get with a buddy of mine and get you an estimate if ya want," Daryl shrugged, turning his attention away from the couple with the baby and toward the empty field behind the house. "Any of the local farmers would pay good money to use that land for their crops. So if ya don't sell, you could make a good profit there."

"Thank you," Carol said with a genuine smile. She didn't seem at all agitated anymore, and he couldn't help but feel the heat rush to his cheeks. He felt like a dick for how he'd talked to her on the phone that night he'd called her about the papers, but she didn't seem to be bothered by it. And he suddenly felt guilty for ever thinking she could ever just up and abandon her own grandmother. He suspected that if it wasn't for this Ed guy, she'd probably have been around a hell of a lot more.

"Well, we don't wanna keep you from the rest of your day. You got a spare key, I take it?"

"Oh," Daryl muttered, shoving his hand into his pocket. "Yeah."

"We'll take that." Ed swiped the key from him. "We'll be here for the weekend. If you're interested in the painting job, let us know before we leave." Daryl gave a little nod Ed's way and turned toward his truck. Ed started back up the porch steps, and Daryl started for his truck. When he slid inside and turned the key, the engine roared to life, and Carol came walking over, cradling the baby close to her chest. He felt his chest tighten as she offered him a kind smile.

"I wanted to thank you again for everything."

"Ain't nothin'."

"Well, I appreciate it anyway. I have a lot of memories here. It feels good to come home like this." She sighed softly, and looked down at her daughter. "Sophia would really like it here." He watched her for a moment, seeing a brief sadness wash over her, before she quickly smiled it away.

"Yeah. Shame you're set on sellin' the place."

"Well, we're not set on it yet," Carol offered, offering a little chuckle and a glance toward the house. But something told him once Ed settled his mind on something, he was going to do it, and he was going to expect her to go along with it. Ed reminded him of his father in a way. He'd go along with something only as long as he could before he'd break and try to force things his way again. To Daryl, Ed looked like he was skirting the edge and about to fall over.

"I'll let you know 'bout the job offer," Daryl said with a nod. "Might wanna stick close to the farm tonight. We got another band of storms rolling in." Carol looked up at the clear blue sky. Not a cloud to be seen. "Take care." With that, he peeled out of the lot and headed toward the road, leaving a trail of dust in his wake, watching her watching him drive away through his rear view mirror. And something tugged deep inside of him, urging him to stay. But he kept on driving, pulling a cigarette from his shirt pocket and lighting up and turning on the radio to drown out the thoughts that pounded through his head. But that smile and those sparkling blue eyes were never far from his mind. He knew, with a reluctant certainty that he'd just met the one woman that would haunt his thoughts and drive him crazy. And she wasn't his.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Carol had set up the portable crib in the living room, while Ed brought in their overnight bags for the weekend. The second Sophia was down for a nap, Carol went around opening all the curtains and letting the sun in. She opened up the windows and let the warm breeze in. She couldn't help but think about her grandmother when she thought of Daryl's warning about bad weather. Not one cloud could be seen in the sky. Perhaps he had a knack for knowing things, too.

She smiled at the thought and began going about with a feather duster and then a sweeper, getting the place clean and tidy, while Ed sat around watching TV. It didn't bother her too much that he wasn't helping, because at least he wasn't underfoot. Still, it irritated her that he'd come along for the weekend to check the place out with the intention of selling and wasn't lifting a finger to help.

So, when she realized they needed to go into town for another can of formula, she wasn't at all surprised when Ed moaned and sighed and acted as if she'd just asked him to go on an expedition to the top of Mount Everest.

"Aw, damn it, I just drove all morning," Ed griped. Carol shot a glance in his direction, and Ed sighed. "You know the place better'n I do. Why don't you go get it? Maybe pick up something for lunch?"

"You'll watch the baby?" Carol asked. There was that pained look again. "Oh, never mind. I'll take her with me. I just hope you know that when she's cranky later, you'll be the one trying to get her back to sleep." She started for the portable crib, but Ed cleared his throat.

"I'll watch the baby. Town ain't that far."

"Gee, thanks," Carol deadpanned, grabbing her purse and keys. "I'll be back in less than an hour. What sounds good for lunch?"

"Fried chicken sounds pretty good."

"Unless something's changed the last couple years, we don't have a chicken place in town." Ed looked slightly put out by this.

"Well, now I got my mouth set for chicken."

"Fine. I'll make some fried chicken. How about that?"

"Thanks, honey."

 _You're welcome, you overgrown man child._

"I'll be back," she sighed, heading out of the house and out to the car. Once inside, she started it up, rolled down the windows, turned the radio on and leaned her head back, relishing the solitude for a few rare moments before pulling out onto the old dirt road and starting off toward town.

The wind cooled her skin and calmed her down. Sometimes talking with Ed was like fighting with a brick wall, and the more she thought about it, the more that gnawing feeling at the pit of her stomach grew. She knew it was only a matter of time before she left or he did, and the only thing that worried her was Sophia. She wanted her daughter to have a relationship with her father, but at this point, the only thing that seemed to interest Ed when he wasn't at work or studying for his exam was watching TV and being unbothered with menial household chores or fatherly responsibilities.

"I'll get your damned chicken," she muttered, gripping the steering wheel and rounding a curve that seemed sharper than she remembered. Dust and gravel spun from under the tires, and she hit the brakes and jerked the wheel to avoid catching her tire on a jagged hunk of metal at the side of the road.

She pulled out closer to the center of the road and wondered why the hell this road wasn't paved yet. But, just as her racing heart was slowing to its normal pace, she heard her cell phone ring from her purse.

"Damn it, Ed," she cursed aloud, turning off the radio and grabbing for her phone. She fumbled with the screen for a second before bringing the phone to her ear. "What?"

"Sophia's awake. She feels a little warm."

"What? Is she ok? Is she crying?"

"Nah, she's not crying, but she feels warm. A little sweaty."

"Is she covered up?"

"No."

"Ok, is her face red? Her chest?"

"Her cheeks are a little red. Yeah. Yeah."

"Alright. She might have a little fever. Check the side of the diaper bag. I've got some drops in there. It's a little white bottle with a pink label."

"Yeah. I got it."

"Give her a half dropper of that, and just keep an eye on her. I'm coming home."

"No, no, I got her. You go on into town. You're right. She's probably just got a fever. I'll take care of her."

"You sure you're alright, Ed?" she asked, biting her lip for a moment.

"Yeah. I got her. She gets warm, I can strip her down to her diaper, right? Temperature's rising out here."

"Yeah. Don't let her get too cool, though. Strip her down to her diaper and cover her with a light blanket if you have to. Are you sure you don't need me home?"

"I've got her."

"Alright. I'll be home soon, ok?" Carol tossed her phone aside and focused on driving, despite the fact that she just wanted to turn around and check on her baby. Still, they did need formula, and she made a mental note to pick up some more drops in just in case, but all the while, her heart felt like it was sinking in her chest. Ed wasn't very hands on with the baby, though she knew he was gentle with her when he was. Still, she wasn't certain how comforting he could be when he didn't spend a significant amount of time with her.

She made her trip into town quick, grabbing the fried chicken fixings, formula and infant drops all at the grocery, trying to minimize her time away from home to as short a trip as possible. By the time she left the grocery store, the temperature had cooled, and dark clouds were rolling in on the horizon. She made a quick phone call to check on the baby and then started off toward the farm.

About halfway there, a roll of thunder and a bolt of lightning gave about a five second warning to the torrential rain that began hammering down into the red clay earth.

"Shit," Carol hissed through clenched teeth as the road, partial gravel but mostly dirt began to slosh beneath her tires. The tires squealed when she went around the big curve, and the car slid a little. She tightened her grip on the wheel, but as another clap of thunder shook the car, the vehicle jostled and swerved, and the following _thunk thunk thunk thunk_ told her she had a flat. "Shit!"

She pulled to the side of the road, putting on the hazard flashers should someone happen to come along. She leaned her head against the steering wheel, and the rain poured down on the roof of the car like marbles on a table top.

She reached for her phone, contemplating calling Ed but realizing he'd have no way to get out to her. She groaned, searching her call history only to find it was erased.

"Great," she groaned, putting her phone back in her purse. She knew there was a spare tire in the trunk, so she figured she could sit tight for a moment and wait out the rain before getting out and attempting to change her first tire since driver's ed.

But, the longer she waited, the harder it seemed to rain, and when her patience began wearing thin, she decided to go for it. She took a deep breath, pushed the button to open the back hatch of the car, gritted her teeth and pushed out into cold, stinging rain. She gasped as the rain pelted down on her skin, soaking through her tank top and making it heavy against her frame.

She groaned as she struggled to get the spare tire out of the back along with the jack. Her feet slipped against the mud, and she gripped the side of the car with one hand as she rolled the tire over to the flat side.

The tire was blown completely, and as Carol began loosening the lug nuts with the tire iron, she realized she had her work cut out for her, as she struggled to loosen the first one.

 _Who put these on? The man of steel?_

Her short curls were plastered against her forehead, and she wiped them back with the palm of her hand. She groaned, putting all of her weight behind the iron but suddenly and forcefully losing her grip and catching her ankle at an unnatural angle. She cried out in pain and fell down into the mud, tearing a hole in her pants and scraping her knee in the process.

It was probably a shallow cut, but it bled heavily, and Carol wiped her hand against her shirt before applying pressure to her wound.

"Shit," she croaked out, sitting in the mud, a sopping wet, bleeding mess that probably could have made far better decisions that day.

"You need some help?" Carol turned her head sharply at the voice that came from seemingly out of nowhere. And there he was, standing there in the pouring rain, dripping hair swept back out of his eyes, strong, muscular arms twitching under the cold drops that cascaded down his tanned flesh.

"Daryl?"

"C'mon," he murmured, reaching out for her hand. She took it, and he eased her up out of the mud. "Let's get you outta the rain."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Carol's hair was still plastered to her skull and dripping when Daryl returned to his truck and slid into the driver's seat. He was soaking wet, and Carol couldn't help but let out a little laugh at how miserable they both looked.

"You really didn't have to do that," she muttered, handing Daryl the now-damp handkerchief he'd given her to pat herself dry with. He wiped his face off before scraping his hair out of his eyes with his blunt fingertips. The rain was cold, and she could see little tendrils of steam rising off of his muscular arms. Her heart raced when her gaze wandered back to his face to find him staring at her.

"Wasn't nothin'," he muttered. "That spare ain't gonna last long. I better follow ya back."

"Oh, God," Carol groaned. "I've got mud all over your seat."

"It'll wash. Ain't the first time." Carol sighed softly, her cheeks flushing red.

"Thank you. What do I owe you for…"

"Nothin'."

"Are you sure?"

"Don't worry 'bout it. Ain't the first flat I've fixed in a thunderstorm. Probably won't be the last."

"Well, thank you. I have to get home. My baby's sick, and I've got to get to her."

"You ok to drive?"

"Yeah. Yeah, thank you. Just a little cold and wet." She sniffled, and wiped her hand over the fogged up window. "The rain's letting up now."

"Take it slow. I'm gonna follow and make sure ya get home alright."

"You don't have to do that." He said nothing in return and started the engine. Carol took that as her cue to hop out, and she made her way back to her own car, getting in and pulling back out into the road. She shivered and turned the heat on to warm herself a little. The storm had brought a cold front with it, and the temperature had chilled at least ten degrees.

The sun had come out, making the cornfields glimmer under the raindrops. She peeked into her rear view mirror to see Daryl following her closely. She couldn't help but think of the sight of him kneeling down and changing her, all strong and muscled and dripping wet, shirt plastered to him like a second skin. The thought of it made her blood pressure rise.

She hadn't felt a spark like that in so long. She had almost forgotten what lust felt like, desire. She and Ed's sex life had become pretty routine and then virtually non-existent since Sophia's birth. She was physically healed and ready, but it never felt right when he'd try to get her in the mood. He tried, but his distance coupled with his overall irritability since Sophia's birth certainly didn't add any fuel to the flames.

Now, for the first time, she actually felt something more than just a flickering desire for intimacy. She felt attracted to him, and God help her, when he looked at her, she felt attractive.

Surely it was just her mind playing tricks on her, her hormones taking charge of her senses.

And she felt a pang of guilt, because Ed was back home taking care of their sick baby, and she knew as soon as she walked in the door, he'd be back in front of the television watching the game, and she'd be taking care of Sophia alone.

It wasn't the life she signed up for. They'd both changed, but Ed was not the man that had swept her off of her feet. And here she was, close to legally tying herself to him for the rest of her life, and all she could think about was those rippling biceps and how good Daryl Dixon's ass looked in those wet pants. She knew it wasn't right, but there certainly wasn't anything wrong with looking so long as she didn't touch, right?

When she pulled into the farmhouse lot, Daryl pulled in behind her, and it wasn't a moment later that Ed came out onto the porch, looking ragged and annoyed, and Carol took a few deep breaths before cutting the engine and stepping out of the car with the bag from the grocery store.

"Where you been?" Ed asked. "She's still crying." He didn't even seem to notice Daryl's truck until Daryl got out and started walking toward them. It was only then that he noticed Carol's soaking, mudding jeans. "What the hell happened to you?

"I had a flat, Ed," Carol said evenly, handing the brown paper bag.

"Well, honey, you weren't s'posed to go swimming in the mud." He laughed at his own joke. Carol cringed.

"Daryl was nice enough to stop and change the tire for me."

"Oh," Ed muttered. "Well, thanks." He didn't sound too thankful. "Look, Sophia's having a fit in there."

"I've got her," Carol murmured. She turned around and mustered up a thankful smile for Daryl. "Thank you, again."

"Wasn't no trouble," Daryl insisted. Carol turned then, grabbing the bag back from Ed before hurrying into the house. The sounds of Sophia's wails pierced the silence between Daryl and Ed.

"Got soaked, huh?" Ed asked. "Thanks for helpin' her out. She don't know much about cars or changing tires."

"She was doin' fine 'til she slipped in the mud. Seems to be alright. She's tough," Daryl offered with a nod. Ed eyed him for a moment.

"She is," Ed offered. "You know, she spent a lot of time on this farm growing up. I guess I don't give her enough credit. She probably knows more'n I do about taking care of a place like this." Daryl said nothing. He just looked up toward the house and back at Ed, wondering exactly what it was that Carol saw in a guy like this. He was like something out of the fifties, the man trying to keep the little woman in the house with the baby, completely disregarding her, not appreciating a damn thing she did.

And Carol was this beautiful, vibrant woman who could speak volumes with nothing but a smile. Those eyes were more than he imagined from her pictures. They were filled with adventure, filled with love, and that light dimmed a little when she was next to Ed.

He supposed it wasn't any of his business, and he didn't take Ed to be an abusive guy, but he also didn't take him to be Carol's equal. It was like watching two characters in a movie live their separate lives apart. It was as if they existed differently together.

But, what the hell did he know based off of ten minutes of interaction? It wasn't his place. She wasn't his to worry about. Still, something about Ed made his skin crawl. Hell, Daryl knew that if he had a woman like Carol, he'd be all in it. She was beautiful, and she probably didn't even know it. Did Ed tell her? Did Ed see it? Did Ed even realize how fucking lucky he was?

"Hey, listen," Ed murmured, scratching his chin, "we'll be leaving first thing Monday. You mind looking after the place while we're gone, just 'til we decide to sell or not?"

"I got things to do," Daryl muttered, managing to pull a dry cigarette from his crumpled, damp packet. He lit up and eyed Ed.

"Look, I gotta have some time to talk her into selling. She's gonna try to hold onto it for sentimental reasons. You know how women are. I just gotta get her back home and settled."

"Right," Daryl muttered. Who the hell was this guy, and who the hell did he think he was?

"Look, I'll make you a deal. You paint the place and keep an eye on things while we're gone, and I'll give you ten percent of what we make when we sell the place. Look, I can't see the place being worth much, unless the old lady had money stashed in the walls, but it might be a good chunk of change. How about it?"

"Naw," Daryl muttered with a shrug. "Find somebody else. Like I said: I got things to do." With that, he turned and went to his truck. He left, spraying mud into the air as he peeled out onto the road, leaving Ed Peletier standing there shaking his head and muttering to himself.

"Asshole."


End file.
